


Date

by JoAsakura



Series: The Major, The Commander, and the Very Helpful Crew of the Normandy [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-02
Updated: 2012-04-02
Packaged: 2017-11-02 22:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/374182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAsakura/pseuds/JoAsakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just dinner. Between friends.</p><p>...Right?</p><p>a sequel to "Message"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date

**Normandy: T-minus four hours to dock at the Citadel**

"Kaidan. Don't you have someplace you need to be?" Garrus says, obviously trying _not_ to do that _thing_ with his mandibles. He's failing miserably, and Kaidan pretends not to care.

"Everywhere I turn, I run into Shepard. I'm not ready to see him right now. I don't.. I don't have all my thoughts in a row yet." Kaidan slumps onto the edge of Garrus' workbench and sighs. "I.. what. I feel like I'm a teenager. I mean, I wasn't even like this when i really WAS a teenager."

"Right. And hiding in here, where, might I add, Shepard spends a lot of his free time, complaining to me about your hormonal problems is going to help in what way?" It comes out a little meaner than Garrus intends, but the fact that Kaidan turns a really interesting colour makes up for the guilt.

"You're right. I just need to be brave about this." Kaidan straightens himself up. "It's just a couple of hours."

"Good for you. Now get out." Garrus steers him towards the door, gently but firmly. 

It's not like Kaidan doesn't have other things to do anyways.

~~

**Normandy: T-Minus Two Hours to Citadel**

Kaidan tries to immerse himself in Important Things. War Things. He reviews reports on special ops, adjusts his armour (despite the fact that he feels like Cortez keeps Looking At Him Funny while he's doing it, but everytime he turns around, the Lieutenant is nowhere to be seen, and really, if he adjusts the shield emitters on his suit one more time, they're going to fall off) and follows up on paperwork from the SPECTRE office.

Not one of these things has helped take his mind off of Shepard Things, so now he's back in the starboard lounge pretending to read a book. He grabbed it at random and it's not until Shepard shows up in his peripheral vision that he realises the whole thing is something about interplanetary economics and his leg's gone to sleep.

"Kaidan." Shepard rocks on his feet and seems slightly out of breath. "I..I might be late. To dinner. That we're having." 

"Oh, hey Shepard." the major replies, trying to pretend that the badly translated Volus book is the most interesting thing since Blasto 5. "Hey, whatever. it's fine. You know. We'll catch up."

"Bau wants me to stop at the SPECTRE office as soon as we get in." Shepard moves to put his hands in pockets that aren't there, then tries to cover that up by folding his arms in a broad, awkward gesture. "It's probably because I didn't fill out the right forms when I shot Udina in the head."

They both laugh uncomfortably, and anything else Shepard might say is cut off by Traynor over the comms because Hackett is calling with more Important War Things. Shepard leaves, but not before this: "I will be there. I promise, Kaidan." 

And Shepard's awkward little smile makes Kaidan want to jump up out of his chair and kiss him instead of just giving a perfunctory nod and staring at a gibberish paragraph about palladium futures.

He realises then, that he wants to make this special.

~~

**Normandy: T-Minus One Hour to Citadel**

There is a strange, faint, yet terrible smell in the mess hall. Kaidan knows what a terrible mistake he's made as soon as he hears the comments.

"What is that smell? It's like someone lit varren piss on fire!" 

"It smells like a vorcha's dick."

"It is like a ditakur mating with a corpse." This last comment comes from Javik, and Kaidan slowly turns around. The prothean is staring at him, all four eyes blinking slightly out of synch, and he's flanked by Liara (her pretty face scrunched up in a look of perplexed disgust) and Garrus (who's mandibles aren't just doing that _thing_ , they're full out twitching as he can barely control himself)

"Goddess, Kaidan. What.. what are you wearing?" Liara asks, as politely as she can manage.

Pretending he doesn't smell it too is no longer an option. "it's that bad?" He can only reply, and the unlikely trio before him just nods in unison, before Javik adds "It is horrible. If you are attempting to attract a mate with that scent, you are doomed to be forever alone."

Kaidan watches something unspoken pass between Garrus and Liara, and the asari takes Javik by the arm and steers him towards the lift. "Come on Javik. We'll be docking soon..."

"But I already said I do not wish to go back to the citadel, asari. When I was there with shepard..." His complaints are cut off with the click of the lift door, and Kaidan is left with a Very Concerned Turian staring at him. 

"I bought a little travel hygiene kit before I left the citadel." Kaidan whispers. "It had cologne in it. I thought it smelled nice in the bottle." He rocks on his feet. "Also, I'm itching."

"It wouldn't happen to be "Palaven Nights" would it?" Garrus asks, leaning in for a closer sniff. "You know that's dextro-based, right?"

"It was a sample size. It didn't exactly have a warning label on it." Kaidan mutters, forcing himself not to scratch. "I thought it might start to smell better you know.. after a little while?" 

They agree that it doesn't and won't and Kaidan sighs, defeated. "Shower and antihistamine. And a fresh uniform. I still have time."

"You're wearing your uniform for..." Garrus whispers conspiratorially "Your DATE?"

"It's not a date." Kaidan hisses back as the turian follows him to the med bay. "It's dinner. Friendly dinner. And even if it was a date, and Shepard doesn't think it's a date, and he sees me in civvies, what's he going to think? that we're on a date?"

"I have no idea what the hell you just said." Garrus sighs, then pats Kaidan on the shoulder as Dr. Chakwas turns around, sniffing dramatically. "Just.. take a few minutes for a sanity check, and.. good luck."

Kaidan nods firmly. "Sanity Check. Right."

~~

**Citadel: T-minus fifteen minutes to what is not really a date just dinner with a friend.**

"I thought we were going to a museum, asari." Javik mutters irritably as Liara shoves them both behind a potted fern. "Unless your people have a very different view of such a thing and.."

"Did I miss anything?" Garrus slides on the bench beside them, peering around the plant.

"He's adjusted his collar about five times and I think he's practicing what he's going to say." Liara grins and the prothean beside her just groans.

"This is juvenile, you realise."

"And yet, you stay." Liara answers back, a smug little smile on her face.

"...it is very boring aboard ship when we are at dock."

~~

**Citadel: T-minus zero. Date Time.**

When Kaidan sees Shepard, the commander dressed in jeans and t-shirt, and that leather jacket that hangs just right off his broad shoulders, he can't suppress the grin he feels spreading across his face.

(ok, so maybe it IS a date)

And as they order, the words come tumbling out. Kaidan knows that he's probably babbling, but he trusts Shepard to understand him.

"You.. and me?" The look on Shepard's face makes Kaidan wish he had some reason to be taking a video with his omni-tool right now. It's the best kind of startled, and the smallest, shyest smile possible pulls at Shepard's lips as he looks away from Kaidan, finding something impossibly interesting out over the water. "It does feel right." He says after a moment. The little catch in his voice is mirrored by a light in his eyes, one that the major is sure he's never seen before. 

And when Kaidan slides his hand across the table, Shepard doesn't hesitate to take it in his own. And it feels exactly as Kaidan imagined it to be. It *does* feel right. As does the kiss that follows, as brief and shy as Shepard's little smile, but so full of the promise of more.

And if someone lets out a whoop of joy from somewhere behind the potted plants dotting the commons, well, both of them pretend not to hear.


End file.
